In the past three years, the B2B buyer’s journey has gotten longer – in fact, buyers are getting further into the process before even speaking to a sales person – as much as 90% of the way through the process. Usually, that’s because they’re simply looking for information about their own problems and obstacles, rather than searching for the solution to those problems.

Today, it’s all about cultivating a long-term relationship with both the organizations and the buying decision makers. And just like in any relationship, the key is communication.

• Your prospects broadcast signals throughout their buying journey – listen to them!
• Create content that directly speaks to those signals and capture their attention

Lead them forward

The B2B buying journey can sometimes be compared to a scavenger hunt. So you’ve got to create content that leads buyers to the next stage in the process. For example:

1. A Twitter message links to your latest blog post.
2. The blog post talks about an obstacle many buyers face. At the end of the post there’s a link to a webinar about the problem, but readers may not be ready to register yet.
3. You include an ad for the webinar on your website home page for anyone who navigates directly to your site.
4. After registering for the webinar, you offer a free whitepaper about common problems organizations in that industry face.
5. Based on the questions attendees ask during the webinar, you add new topics to your editorial content. From that, you’ll produce new useful content for them and other prospects and leads.
6. All webinar attendees receive regular emails from you, letting them know about new content you’re producing about the industry, as well as the occasional product special.

That’s six different content types you’ve used to both educate and engage with your prospects. Each one leads into the next step of the buying process, and directs buyers towards choosing you as their preferred vendor.

How far along are your B2B buyers getting before they finally buy? How many content types are you using before they finally buy? Hit the comments and let us know.

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